I've found a new anti-inflammation supplement that scores another point for natural health supplements. It's called FlexProtex and what it does is to protect you against pain. When I heard about this, I thought I'd explore it some more.

Of course I'm not talking about protecting you from every pain. This product is concerned with anti-inflammation.

To understand the relevance of this natural product, let's discuss for a moment two enzymes, called Cox-1 and Cox-2.

Cox-1 enzymes protect the stomach and produce prostaglandins, which are responsible for the cell renewal in the stomach.

Cox-2 enzymes also produce prostaglandins. That's fine, but during this process they produce pain and inflammation.

So an anti-inflammation remedy that inhibits Cox-2 is fine. But most of what's been on the market was inhibiting both Cox-1 and Cox-2.

This brings up the idea of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or 'NSAIDs'. These include some very popular pain killers (Aspirin and M otrin) intended to relieve the inflammation of tendonitis, bursitis and arthritis. NSAIDs block both Cox-1 and Cox-2 enzymes. Cox-1 enzymes can be found in inflamed parts of the body as well as in the stomach.

A cox-2 inhibitor is largely concerned with preventing joint pains, which may be related to arthritis, bursitis or other such conditions.

This product that I've recently found out about is a natural Cox-2 inhibitor. In fact it seems to be one of the only all-natural patented Cox-2 inhibitors on the market.

The fact of it being natural is quite important to me because of all the stories of side effects that are associated with standard cox-2 inhibitor drugs.

In the 90's drug companies started marketing products that did not inhibit Cox-1 enzymes. If Cox-1 enzymes were not impeded by the drug, then gastronomical side effects that had been associated with NSAIDs could be avoided.

So, a drug that only blocked Cox-2 enzymes was attractive because it would provide relief to millions of arthritis patients, without causing the stomach problems many suffered with the NSAIDs.

Fine as far as it went. But considerable side effects were found over time with Cox-2 inhibitor drugs. The side effects included ulcers and stomach bleeding, bloating, heartburn, vomiting and nausea. In serious cases, kidney or liver failure may be caused.

In fact, one very big pharmaceutical company, Merck, took their drug off the market for a time, because of an increased incidence of both strokes and heart attacks amongst patients using it for more than 18 months.

And that type of news has encouraged me to look for natural supplements to fight inflammation. M ore and more studies are showing that alternative, natural supplements do a fine job as anti-inflammatory remedies without the side effects.

This new product I've started using has several traditional ingredients that have a long history as viable remedies. These include Boswellin, Curcumin, Yucca, and Ashwagahnda.

These are all well-known natural herbs that have a long history of use.

Ashwaganda is an herb which works on a non-specific basis to increase health and longevity.

Boswellin has been used extensively to reduce the symptoms of arthritis.

Curcurmin, the main ingredient in curry and used for flavoring in many Indian dishes, is a known anti-inflammatory, boosts immune system strength and is believed to have a negative affect on all forms of cancer.

Yucca root is an anti-inflammatory used to establish a flora balance in the Gastrointestinal tract.

So, when joint pains come, my experience suggests that a good medication is a natural medication. And I think FlexProtex is well worth a try.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.